Lumber-handling apparatus.



PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

G. E. DUPEE. LUMBER HANDLING APPARATUS.

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

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v PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904. G.E.DUPEE.

LUMBER HANDLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1903'.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NO MODEL.

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are. 769,153.

UNITED STATES Patented September 6, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. DUPEE, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

LUMBER-HANDLING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent N0. r'69,153, datedSeptember 6, 1904. Application filed September 28, 1903 Serial No.174,858. (Nd model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. Durnn, a citizen of the United States,residing-at Somer- Ville, in the county-of Sufiolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Lumber-HandlingApparatus, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like numerals on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

This invention relates to a device for expeditiously handling lumber,and especially for taking lumber from a vessel or wharf or any otherplace and piling it.

The device in which my invention is embodied comprises a frame having aplurality of positively-driven feeding-rolls constructed to feed orcarry the lumber longitudinally of the frame and a feeding-in devicewhich can be placed at either side of the frame and which is constructedto take lumber from eitherside of said frame and carry it toward theframe and deposit it onto the feed-rolls, which in turn take it and feedit forward longitudinally of the frame. I

The device also comprises a piler consisting of an elevator constructedto take the lumber from the rolls and elevate it to the top of the pilewhere it is being stacked.

The particular features wherein the invention resides will be morefullyv hereinafter described and then pointed out in the claims.

- Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan View of a portion of my apparatus.Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1.

- Fig. 4 is a plan view of the end of the frame to which the piler isattached. Fig. 5 is a side View of the piler. Fig. 6 is an end viewthereof. Figs. 7 and 8 are details hereinafter resectional, the sectionsbeing detachably connected together, so that any number of sections maybe employed, according to the distance which it is desired to transportthe lumber. In Fig. 1 lhave shown one section, 4, and

Fig. 3 shows a modification.

- part of another section, 4:, of the frame, these two sections beingdetachably connected together in any. suitable way, as by theclovetailed joints 5. One end of each section will preferably have thedovetailed projections thereon, which fit corresponding grooves. in theadjacent end of the next section. Part or .all of the rolls 3 arepositively driven, and

they are preferably driven from a single source of power, one roll beingdriven from another. In this embodiment of my invention one'of thesections of the frame carries power-shafts 6 and 28, havingsprocket-wheels 7 thereon, either one of which may be connected tosprocket-wheels on one of the rolls 3, and thus used to drive saidrolls. As illustrated, the sprocket-wheel 7 on the shaft 6 is connectedto a sprocket 8 on one roll by a sprocket-chain 9.

Said roll has fast thereon one or. more other sprocket-wheels 10, whichare connected by suitable sprocket-chains 11 with sprocketwheels 12 onthey ends of other rolls. These other rolls have in turn still othersprocketwheels, which are connected by other sprocketchains with stillother rolls,and so on throughout the series, one roll receiving itsmotion from a second roll and in turn acting as a driving means for athird roll. By thus independently connecting up one roll with its nextadjacent roll by means of a separate side of the main frame 4: and whichincludes a plurality of conveyer-belts 16, having feeding-fingers 17thereon, said belts extending at right angles to the mainframe A. Anysuitable means may be provided for thus securing the supplemental frameto the main frame, and, as herein illustrated, the main frame isprovided at each side with the lugs Too elevate it to the top of thepile.

18, to which the arms 19 of the supplemental frame may be detachablysecured. The conveyer-belts 16 pass over driving-pulleys 21, fast uponthe driving-shaft 20, and around direction-pulleys 22 and 23, the latterpulleys serving to maintain the upper runs of the belts in a horizontalposition. The pulleys 23 are mounted on arms 24, carried by the shaft toswing thereabout, so that said arms may be swung toward either side ofthe frame 4, according to which side the feeding-in device is operatingon. The shaft 20 may be driven directly by a belt or in any othersuitable way. As herein illustrated, ithas a gearwheel 26 thereon, whichmeshes with a gearwheel 27 on the power-driven shaft 28 and also with agear 29 on the power-shaft 6. The object in providing two power-shaftsis to provide means for reversing the shaft 20 when the feeding-indevice is changed from one side to the other. With the feeding-in devicein the position shown in Fig. 1 the power will be applied to the shaft28 and said shaft rotated in the direction of the arrow a, and thefeeding-rolls will be driven from the shaft 6. When the feeding-indevice is on the opposite side of the frame, however, the power will beapplied to shaft 6 and the latter rotated in an opposite direction fromthat shown in Fig. 1. In this case the feeding-rolls will be driven fromthe shaft 28. This change reverses the shaft, as will be obvious.

160 designates guides on which the lumber rests as it is given itstransverse movement by the feeding-fingers 17.

Situated at the opposite end of the frame from the feeding-in device isa piler adapted to take the lumber from the feeding-rolls and Such pileris herein illustrated as an endless-belt elevator 30, carried by aswinging ladder 31. Said ladder is pivotally mounted'upon a suitablesupport or stand 32, which can be placed at any desired positionalongside of the main frame 4. This endless conv'eyer comprises twoendless belts, each having a plurality of carryingfingers 34 dependingtherefrom which during their traveling movement pass between the rolls 3and pick the lumber off from them and carry it on the under side of theladder to the top of the pile, as will be presently described. Theendless belts pass over pulleys 36 at the upper end of the ladder orframe and over pulleys 37 at the lower end thereof. The lower pulleys 37are shown as carried by shafts 40, which are driven from a drivingshaft42, supported by the frame 4 and extendinglongitudinally thereof, by anysuitable means, such as belts 44. I prefer to drive the shaft 42 fromone of the rolls 3, as this avoids the necessity of providing a separatedriving mechanism for the piler. As herein illustrated, I have connectedone of the rolls 3 with 'a shaft 46 by means of suitable sprocket-chainand gearing 47, and said latter shaft has a gear 48 thereon meshing witha gear 49, loosely mounted on said shaft 42, but adapted to be clutchedto the said shaft by means of a suit able clutch 50. The clutch 50 isconstructed to be operated either by the man on the pile of lumber orautomatically by the lumber itself, and in the present embodiment it isso arranged that as any piece or pieces of lumber are fed forward by thefeeding-roll they automatically throw the clutch 50 and start theelevator in operation when the lumber comes opposite theelevating-lingers 34, so that the lumber is automatically picked up fromthe rolls 3 and carried to the top of the pile. For this purpose 1provide a pivoted bumper or stop 53, arranged to be engaged by thelumber 54 as it is fed forward, said stop being connected to theclutch-operating lever by a suitable connection 56, wherel y as thebumper is moved to the right, Fig. 5, by the movement of the lumber onthe rolls the clutch is thrown into operation and the elevator started.

74 designates a pivoted catch mounted on the frame which is adapted toswing in behind the bumper when the latter is moved to the right, Fig.5, and thus lock it in such position, which is the position occupied bythe bumper when the clutch is engaged. Said catch will preferably be aspring-pressed or weighted catch, so that its action in locking thebumper will be automatic. The bumper is preferably provided with means,such as a weight 73, to automatically return it to its initial positionwhen it is released, thereby disengaging the clutch. I. prefer to employautomatic means operated by the movement of the elevator to release thecatch, and there by permit the bumper to return to its initial positionand the clutch to be disengaged when the lumber has been elevated to thedesired height. For this purpose 1 have herein shown a rod 81 extendingalong the side of the frame or ladder 31 and connected to an armextending from acollar 82 loose on the shaft to, said collar havinganother arm, which is connected to the catch by a connection 84.

85 is a finger connected to the rod 81 and preferably pivoted to theframe 31 and extending into the path of the lumber on the fingers 34.\Vith such a construction the upward movement of the lumber brings itinto engagement with the finger 85 and swings the latter upward, suchmovement through the. connections above described operating to swing thecatch out of engagcn'ient with the bumper. The bumper is then returnedtoits initial position, the clutch disengaged, and the elevator stopped.To prevent the elevator from running backward when the clutch is out ofoperation, I may provideanysuitablebrake device, such as a stop-pawl 87.

The operation of the device is as follows: The supplemental frame 15having been placed upon that side of the frame 4 from which it isdesired to feed lumber to the frame, the

1 a stop 53.

takes it to the feed-rolls, and the latter in turn.

feed it forward longitudinally of the frame 4 until the piler isreached. At this point the lumber engages the stop 53 and swings thesame to throw the clutchin operation, as above described. The elevatornow operates,

to pick the lumber off from the rolls and elevates it until it strikesthe finger 85, when the catch 74% is released andthe bumper returns toits initial position and the clutch is disengaged. The elevator is thusautomatically brought to rest and will remain so until another lot oflumber comes into engagementwith the bumper and the'abovedescribedoperations are repeated. The finger 85 will be so positioned that theelevator will be brought,

to rest with the lumber in the most convenient position for beinghandled by the attendant on the pile. I prefer to make said fingeradjustable up and down on the rod 81 and also on the frame, so it can beplaced in any position desired. t V

I desire toemphasize particularly the fact that the lumber is carried upon the under side of the ladder 31 instead of orrthe upper side, as isusually the case. This permits me to stop the elevator with the lumbercarried in the suspended fingers 3 1 at the most convenient position forhandling regardless of the height of the pile. If the lumber werecarried up on the upper side of the ladder,

it would be thrown over the end of the ladder onto the pile, and thusmake extra work for the attendant.

So far as I am aware it is new to construct a lumber-piler so that thelumber is elevated in suspended fingers on the under side of the ladder,and-I desire to claim this broadly.

I may, if desired, also provide a means whereby the clutch can beoperated by hand by the attendant on the pile. For this purpose 1 haveshown an operating-rod 91 ex tending longitudinally of the frame 31 andslidably mounted thereon, which rod is connected to an arm on a collar92, loose on one of the shafts 40. This collar has another arm, which'isconnected to a bell-crank 93, and the latter is in turn connected to theclutch-lever 55.

The device may also be used as a means to' sort lumber, for, if desired,two or more pilers can be employed at different places along the mainframe and each one'being controlled by In this case the stops for therespective pilers will be placed in different positions transversely ofthe frame, so that one grade of lumber, which would be placed at one endof the rolls or at one side of the frame, would'operate the stop foronepiler, while a second grade of lumber, which would be placed centrallyof the rolls, would opertuted.

ate the stop for a second piler, and the third grade of lumber, placedin a different position on1 the rolls, would operate the stop for athird p1 er. i I may. position the finger 85 so thateach charge or lotof'lumber will be carried from the rolls 3 clear to the top of thelumber pile at one movement or operation of the elevator, or so thateach lot will only be elevated out of the way of the next lot on thefeeding-rolls. In the latter case therewonld be one lot of lumber ineach of the fingers, as shown in Fig.6. I If desired, the automaticmeans for controlling the clutch 50 maybe dispensedwith and manualclutch-controlling means substi- The inclination of the ladder or frame31 of the elevator may be controlled by any suit.- able means, such asan ordinary block and tackle 63.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modification which is a different form ofsupplemental frame 15. for use in unloadingdirectly froma vessel.Thisframe comprises merelyarms 190, which are pivoted to the lugs 18 onthe main frame f and which rest at their free ends upon the sides of thevessel, as shown. Inother respects the supplemental frame is similar tothat shown in Fig. 2. I I

From the above it will be seen that l have provided a simple butextremely efficient machine .for handling lumber and one which willrequire but a minimum amount of atten-. tion from attendants. It is soconstructed that it can be built of any length by merely varying thenumber of sections in the frame, 1 and lumber can be fed to it fromeither side and distributed to one or more piles, as desired.

While I have shown one form in which my invention may be embodied, I donot wish tov be limited to the precise construction shown,

as various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention as expressed in the appended claims.

' Although my invention has been above de-v scribed as especiallyapplicable for the han. dling of lumber, yet it will be understood thatwithout any change in its construction it may. be used for handlingother material, such as poles, rails, or other similar-shaped material.I wouldconsider, therefore, as coming within my invention an apparatusconstructed asv setlforth in the claims regardless of the par-. ticularcharacter of the material which was handled by it.

' While my invention is primarily designed for. taking lumber from itsresting-place, con-. vey-ing it sidewise to the rollers, carrying itlongitudinally, and then elevatingit to the top of the pile, yet it willbe obvious that by merely reversing the direction of the drivingmechanism the device can be used to take- &

pile, lower them onto the rollers, and feed them forward to theirdestination.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a lumber-handling apparatus, a frame having positively-drivenfeeding-rolls to feed lumber longitudinally thereof, and a feedingindevice detachable from the frame and adapted to be placed either sidethereof to feed lumber thereto.

2. In a lumber-handling apparatus, a frame having positively-drivenfeeding-rolls to feed lumber longitudinally thereof, and a feedingindevice comprising endless conveyer-belts arranged at right angles to theframe, said feedingin device being constructed to be placed either sideof said frame.

3. In a lumber-handling apparatus, a frame having positively-drivenfeeding-rolls to feed lumber longitudinally thereof, and a feedingindevice to feed lumber to the frame from the side thereof and deliver itonto the rolls in the proper position for being fed forward, said framehaving means to detachably secure the feeding-in device to either sidethereof.

4. In a lumber-handling apparatus, a frame having positively-drivenfeeding-rolls to feed lumber longitudinally thereof, a driving-shaftextending longitudinally of the frame, a feed ing-in device adapted tobe placed either side of said frame, and connections between saidfeeding-in device and shaft for operating the latter from the former,said connections being operative in either position of the feeding-indevice.

5. In a device for handling lumber, a frame having positively-drivenfeeding-rolls to feed lumber longitudinally thereof, a feedin g-indevice adapted to be placed either side of said frame, said feeding-indevice comprising endless conveyer-belts arranged at right angles to theframe, a shaft extending longitudinally of the said frame and operatingsaid belts, the connection between the shaft and belts being such thatthe latter may be operated from the shaft in either position of thefeeding-in device.

6. In an apparatus for handling lumber, a main frame havingpositively-driven feedingrolls, combined with a feeding-in devicecomprising a supplemental frame detachably secured to the side of themain frame, and endless-belt conveyers carried by said supplementalframe and extending at right angles to the length of the main frame.

7 In an apparatus for handling lumber, a main frame havingpositively-driven feedingrolls, a feeding-in device comprising asupplemental frame, endless conveyer-belts carried by said supplementalframe and extending at right angles to the length of the main frame,means to detachably secure said supplemental frame to either side of themain frame, a shaft extending longitudinally of the main frame, andmeans to operate said belts from the shaft in either position of thefeeding-in device.

8. In an apparatus for handling lumber, a sectional frame, the abuttingends of adjacent sections being detachably united by a dovetailed joint,a plurality of feeding-rolls carried by each section, and means toconnect said rolls whereby one is operated from another.

9. In an apparatus for handling lumber, a sectional frame the sectionsof which are detachably connected together, feeding-rolls carried byeach section, means to connect the successive rolls whereby one isdriven from another, and a feeding-in device at one end of the frameconstructed to be detachably secured to either side of the frame.

10. In a device for handling lumber, a sectional frame the sections ofwhich are detachably connected together, feeding-rolls carried by eachsection, a driving-shaft supported by one section, means to drive onefeeding-roll from said shaft, means to drive the other rolls from saidfirst-named roll, and a detachable feeding-in device at one end of theframe constructed to be secured to either side of said frame.

11. In a device for handling lumber, a sectional frame the sections ofwhich are detachably connected together, feeding-rolls carried by eachsection, a driving-shaft supported by one section, means to drive onefeeding-roll from said shaft, and means to drive the other rolls fromsaid first-named roll, a feeding-in device adapted to be secured toeither side of the main frame, and means for, operating said feeding-indevice from said driving-shaft.

12. In an apparatus for handling lumber, a frame havingpositively-driven feeding-rolls to feed the lumber longitudinallythereof, an elevator operated from the feeding-rolls to take lumber fromthe feeding-rolls and carry it to the top of the lumber pile, and aclutch device to start and stop the elevator.

13. In an apparatus for handling lumber, means to feed lumber forward,and an elevator to elevate said lumber from the lumberfeeding means,said elevator comprising endless belts standing at an inclination to avertical line and each having means to support lumber on its under side.

14. In an apparatus for handling lumber, a lumber-feeding mechanism, andan elevator to take the lumber from said feeding mechanism and carry itto the top of the lumber pile, said elevator comprising two inclinedendless belts having lumber-supporting lingers suspended therefromwhereby the lumber is carried up on the under side of the elevator.

15. In a lumber-piler, a frame having positively-driven feeding-rolls tofeed lumber longitudinally thereof, an elevator to take lumber from thefeeding-rolls and carry it to the top of the lumber pile, a clutchdevice to start and stop the elevator, and means controlled by IIO thelumber being fed forward to throw said clutch in operation.

16. In a lumber-handling apparatus, a frame having positively-drivenfeeding-rolls'to feed lumber longitudinally thereof, an elevator todeliver the lumber from the feeding-rolls, and means to drive theelevator from the feedingro s.

17. In an apparatus for handling lumber, a frame having feeding-rolls tofeed lumber for- Ward, a feeding-in device, a main shaft extend inglongitudinally of the frame, connections between said main shaft and thefeeding-in device and also between said shaft and the driving-rolls.whereby each are operated from said shaft, an elevator to take thelumber from the feeding-rolls, and driving means for the elevatoroperated from the feeding-rolls.

18. In an apparatus for handling lumber, means to feed lumber forward,and an inclined elevator to elevate the lumber to .the top of the lumberpile, said elevator including suspended fingers depending from its underside onwhioh the lumber is supported.

19. In an apparatus for handling lumber, a plurality of feeding-rolls tofeed lumber forward, and an elevator to take the lumber from said rollsand elevate it to the top of the lumber pile, said elevator comprisingendless belts having fingers suspended therefrom, whereby means to feedlumber forward, an elevator'to the lumber is carried up on the underside of said belts.

' 20. In an apparatus for handling lumber,

elevate the lumber to the top of the lumber pile, said elevatorincluding suspended fingers on which the lumber is supported, andelevator-operating means controlled by the movement of the lumber. I

21. In an apparatus forhandling lumber, means to feed lumber forward, anelevator to elevate the lumber to the top of the lumber pile, saidelevator including suspended fingers on which the lumber is supported,and means operated by the lumber being elevated to control the operationof elevator.

22. In an apparatus for handling lumber,-

